Do you remember what you were doing when you first heard about
The Lego Movie
? Harrumphing? Snorting incredulously? Filing the notion alongside such disregarded projects as
The Pacman Movie
or
Ridley Scott’s Monopoly
?

We stand humbly corrected. The film that industry analysts are citing as the earliest Oscar lock for 2015 (no, really) arrives with delirious reviews and delighted exit polls attached. It’s this year’s
Toy Story
, apparently. It’s an instant classic.

The hype don’t lie. A thrilling, consistently funny, all-ages extravaganza,
The Lego Movie
is virtually critic proof, in that we can’t find a darned thing wrong with it. It’s got laser sharks. And robot pirates. And a uni-kitty. And Batman. The project’s theoretically cold, corporate, plastic heart – the movie is fashioned from LEGO® after all – is deftly offset by an anarchic, anti-authoritarian theme. Emmet (Chris Pratt) is an every-brick construction worker who finds himself at the heart of a vast conspiracy as orchestrated by President Business (Will Ferrell) and his evil, schizoid henchman, Bad Cop (Liam Neeson).

The best jokes make use of the physical limitations of small plastic bricks. The screenplay, by directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
), utilises pop culture without the unnecessary snark. The music Batman has written for his girlfriend and the continuing unpopularity of the Green Lantern (Jonah Hill) work as comic book references and perfectly crafted standalone gags for the DC ignorant.

Mark Mothersbaugh’s score is as clever and playful as anything he’s ever done (and that’s saying something). The lighting is impeccable. The action sequences are convincing and plentiful. And just when you think the film can’t get any more awesome, there’s a devilishly Brechtian flourish.

Do you remember what you were doing when you first heard about
The Lego Movie
?